Machines for washing bottles and like containers



July 10, 1962 L. Hl 3,043,318

MACHINES FOR WASHING BOTTLES AND LIKE CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 25, 1960Fig- 1 H92 I 6 a aux g;

Z I: 7y l INYENTOR LOUIS HI By JW UMQ, w M

ATTORNEY) ice Patented July 10, 1962 3,043,318 MACHINES FOR WAE-HINGBOTTLES AND LIKE CONTAINERS Louis Hi, Paris, France, assignor toSocietejAnonyme de Construction de Materiel dAlimentation, Paris,France, a corporation of France Filed Jan. 25, 1 260, filer. No. 4,246Claims priority, application France Feb. 2, 1959 7 Claims. ((Il.134--104) In general, bottle washing machines combine or not thechemical action of an active solution (for example a detergent solutionwith a mechanical or dynamic action such as a brushing, this treatmentbeing completed by a rinsing step and a draining step.

In most cases the solution operates by immersion and or high-pressureinjection, these modes of operation being applied successivelyoralternately.

The factors influencing the washing speed, such as temperature,treatment time, concentration of the active solution, are well known.

However, an important factor was partially disregarded up to now sinceit is used systematically only during internal and external pressureinjections. This factor is the relative speed of the active solution andof the wall to be cleaned. Thus, during the immersion constituting themost important part of the treatment, the active solution is practicallystationary both inside and outside the bottle or container.

Moreover, the immersion treatment entails the use of considerablevolumes of active solution of which only a very small fraction is reallyuseful, and during the successive cleanings of the machine a largequantity of this solution is definitely lost.

Fin-ally, the conventional treatment by immersion and injection removesthe labels from the bottles which are thus mixed with the activesolution under such conditions that it is diificult if not impossible toseparate them from these solutions. As a result, many inconveniences areobserved, such as the pollution of the cleaning baths by the glue, thecellulose, the dyestuffs, etc.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a bottle washingmachine wherein the washing reactions are accelerated by creating avelocity of passage between the active solution and the inner and outerwalls of the bottle through the use of a spray nozzle. This nozzle maybe used if desired for filling the bottle with liquid, whereafter it iskept operating for washing the bottie during a predetermined time periodin order efiiciently and quickly to wash the bottle by accelerating thereactions, thus avoiding the use of large quantities of liquid.

his combined action may be termed as a dynamic immersion.

The nozzle is fed with active solution either through lines underpressure or from a trough or vat open at the top.

The labels are removed by allowing the active solution to overflow fromthe upper portion of the bottles and stream along their walls.

If necessary, the streaming may be distributed regularly along the wallsof the bottle by providing a bellshaped member adapted to direct theliquid jets with a sufiicient homogenity thereagainst.

The labels fall onto a conveyor belt and are thus led to the outside inorder to avoid the bath pollution and the label deterioration whilepermitting the easy and quick removal of the labels. The bottles areeither suspended by their necks by means of a clamp in the case ofbottles of a type other than those provided with a knee-action stopper,or carried by the label-receiving conveyor belt in the case of bottleshaving a knee-action stopper.

The action exerted by the injection nozzles may be completed by otherinjections applied externally of the bottle in order to complete theliquid streaming effect produced by these nozzles.

A machine of this character for washing bottles and like containers isalso advantageous in that it permits of dispensingwith the cratesusually employed for washing bottles, so that the relative spacing ofthe bottles may be reduced accordingly. Thisreduction, plus theacceleration of the washing time, affords a substantial reduction in thelength of the machine.

The nozzles, during its operation, may be either'fixed and caused tomove alternately in and out from the bottles as these are presentedthereto, or adapted to follow the bottles during part or the whole oftheir travel through the machine.

The nozzle may also be used for complementary op- I erations, forexample for injecting air and/0r steam, effecting a vacuum suction, etc.and this nozzle may also be replaced by a rotary brush at certainstations of the machine.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention resides inthe novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details ofconstruction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood thatchanges in the precise embodiment of the invention here-.

in disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention. Other objects and advantageswill become apparent from the following description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view showing a bottle with thecorresponding washing nozzle during the washing operation;

FIGURE 2 is an axial section showing on a larger scale a typical form ofembodiment of a nozzle mounted through the bottom of an open-top trough;

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic fragmentary view showing a series of bottlessuspended from a chain of clamps driving the bottles intermittentlybeneath the nozzle-carrying trough or troughs, and

FIGURE 4 illustrates diagrammatically a typical form of embodiment of abottle washing machine constructed in accordance with the teachings ofthis invention in the case of bottles provided with a knee-actionstopper.

Referring to the drawing and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, thebottle 1 to be cleaned is shown as receiving therein a nozzle 2 solidwith the bottom of a trough 3; this bottle 1 is supported by a metalclamp 4 fitting on the bottle neck; overlying this neck is a memher, oneportion 5 of which constitutes a guide funnel for introducing thenozzle, the other portion 6 constituting a deflection bell for regularlydistributing over the entire outer wall of the bottle the chemicalsolution overflowing from this bottle. In the case of bottles closed bymeans other than knee-action stoppers, these bottles are suspended bytheir neck from a conveyor chain by means of the aforesaid clamps 4 andtheir bottom is remote from the walls of the machine and in practicefrom a travelling band or belt the function of which will be set forthhereafter.

The washing solution issuing from the bottle is allowed to stream alongthe outer wall, for the dual purpose of washing this wall and, at thesame time, removing the labels therefrom, the latter falling withoutbeing torn or otherwise damaged onto the underlying travelling band orbelt cited in the preceding paragraph, which leads these labels to theoutside.

To illustrate a typical form of embodiment of reciprocating nozzle,there is shown on a larger scale in FIG. 2 a nozzle 2 and the trough 3associated therewith. This nozzle may for example be slid-ably mountedthrough the bottom wall of the trough and the vertical position of thistrough may be defined by adjustable stops 7 to take dueaccount of thedifierent capacities and heights of the bottles to be cleaned.

in this case, when the machine receives bottles of reduced height thestops are raised to prevent the nozzle from striking the bottom of thebottles. However, when the machine contains at the same time two typesof bottles the nozzle may strike the bottom of the small bottles Withoutdamaging it since the nozzle can rise in its trough. Moreover, the loweredge of the no be bevelled or notched to permit the spraying of liquidall around the interior of the bottle even when the nozzle engages thisbottom wall.

FIG. 3 shows diagrammatically a series of bottles 8 suspended from adevice 9 consisting of clamps secured at spaced intervals on a conveyorchain and driven therefrom intermittently beneath the nozzle-carryingtrough or troughs. Each bottle is stopped duringa predetermined timeperiod under a trough and during this period the nozzle is'loweredinside the bottle and then extracted therefrom. v

FIG. 4 shows a modified form of embodiment of the machine which isdesigned more particularly for washing bottles having knee-actionstoppers which are therefore more difficult to hold by their neck. inthis case, the bottles to be cleaned are placed on a conveyor band.

The installation comprises an endless conveyor chain it) the links ofwhich consist of separate troughs 11 each carrying a nozzle 12 in theirbottom. A mechanism 13 of any suitable and known description is adaptedafter preliminary emptying, rinsing and heating steps, if required, tobring each bottle to a position in which the nozzle 12 penetratesthrough the neck of the bottle, where after the latter is carried along,by the conveyor band 14% supporting same, at the same linear speed asthe speed of chain 10. A duct 15 located between the chain reachesreceives the soda solution and pours it through ports 16 into thelink-forming troughs 11 of the chain. This solutions flows through thenozzles 12 into the bottles and washes the interior thereof. Thesolution overflowing from the bottles streams along their outer wall towash same while removing the labels which fall onto the conveyor band 14consisting for example of wire gauze. At the outlet end of the conveyorband 14- these labels are removed by blowing, brushing or any otheradequate method.

Upon completion of the washing phase the bottles are still carried alongby the endless chain at the outlet end of the conveyor band and guidedalong the curved portion of their travel by a slideway 17, as shown.

On the upper reach or the chain lib the bottles, still engaged by theirnozzles 12, travel upside-down and receive from the cradles 19 carryingthe nozzles 2th the liquid and the suitable solutions under pressure forthe inner and outer rinsing of the bottles. Subsequent to this rinsingstep, the bottles engage the other curved portion 21 of the chain andleave the nozzles, the washing operations being completed.

Although the present invention has been described in conjunction withpreferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications andvariations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will readilyunderstand. Such modifications and variations are considered to bewithin the province and scope of the invention and appended claims.

sensors I claim: p l. in a bottle washing machine, a bottle conveyor,means for directing a stream of liquid down the exterior wall of thebottle to forcibly remove a label from the bottle without damaging thelabel, and an endless belt conveyor underlying the path of thebottles'carried by said bottle conveyor for receiving the label andremoving the label and further prevent damage thereto, said means fordirecting a stream of liquid including a bottle clamp carried by saidbottle conveyor, an upper nozzle guide carried by said bottle clam alower deflector bell for deflecting liquid flowing out of a bottle downthe exterior wall thereof, and a nozzle connected to a liquid supply andprojecting through said bottle clamp for directing the liquid into theinterior of the bottle to also Wash the interior of the bottle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said nozzle is dis posed at a fixedlocation along the pathof said bottle conveyor, and means are providedfor reciprocating said nozzle through said bottle clamp.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of said bottleclampsv and a plurality of said nozzles, said nozzles are disposed atfixed locations along the path of movement of bottles, and means areprovided for reciprocating each nozzle separately each time a bottle ispresented to the location of the corresponding nozzle. 4. in a bottlewashing machine, a bottle conveyor, means for directing a stream ofliquid down the exterior wall of the bottle to forcibly'remove a labelfrom the bottle without damaging the label, and an endless belt conveyorunderlying the path of the bottles carried by said bottle conveyor forreceiving the. label and removing the label and further prevent damagethereto, said means for directing a stream of liquid including'a nozzlefor directing the liquid into the interior of the bottle for firstwashing the interior of the bottle prior to the removal of the label,said bottle conveyor being formed of a plu- 'rality of link formingtroughs each carrying a nozzle, and means for directing liquid into saidtroughs.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said endless belt conveyor supportsbottles during the washing and label removing operation.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said endless belt conveyor supportsbottles during the washing and label removing operation, said bottleconveyor having upper and lower runs with curved transition portions,said nozzles carrying bottles through said transition portions, and acurved guide along one of said transition portions for retaining bottleson said nozzles.

7. In a bottle washing and label removing apparatus, a bottle clamp forengaging necks of bottles, an upper nozzle guide carried by said bottleclamp for directing a nozzle into a bottle carried by said bottle clamp,and a lower deflector bell for directing a washing liquid overflowingout of a bottle down the exterior wall thereof to remove a labelthereon.

References Cited in the tile of this patent 'UNITED STATES PATENTS1,144,023 Beutlieh June 22, 1915 1,605,961 Loew Nov. 9, 1926 1,893,498Herzog Jan. 10, 1933 2,318,524 Read May 4, 1943 2,573,169 Gerlach et al.Oct. 30, 1951 2,655,928 Herold Oct. 20, 1953 r- .s. I

